I'm Catherine, originally from London, now living in Spain. My professional journey led me from being a certified teacher to a yoga instructor and then a freelancer designer. These changes were made possible by online learning platforms like Skillshare and Coursera. It wasn't always easy, but so worth it and inspired me to start Upskillwise.
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Table of contentsedX is an online learning platform best known for offering a wide variety of courses, from free courses to full degrees. It was founded in 2012 by professors from Harvard and MIT as an experiment to make the world’s best education. Its courses and programs are designed in partnership with top Universities and Organizations to help learners launch and excel their careers.
To make sure this edX review is informative and helpful, I’ve taken time thoroughly researching edX courses and programs, instructors, pricing, refund policies, and examined feedback from edX users. Furthermore, my Master’s in Teaching and Education and years of experience of using online learning platforms, has equipped me to creating this well-rounded review.
Catherine Cooke Upskillwise Advisor
If you have the time, please stick around whilst we delve a little deeper into this detailed edX review.
edx is an online platform that collaborates with top Universities and Organizations providing a diverse range of courses and learning programs. It covers a wide range of topics such as Computer Science, Language, Data Science, Business & Management, Engineering, Humanities and more.
The platform’s courses and programs are often instructor-led and come with designated start and end dates. Many of its courses you can access for free following the Audit Track, but this will come with certain limitations, and you won’t get access to all the features. Alternatively, you can pay for the course opting for the verified track, which means you’ll receive a certificate upon completion and access to graded assignments and exams. edX also offers a plan for businesses, which are custom-curated and tailored to the specific needs of your team or organization.
With edX, each course or program is individually paid for, there are no subscription plans available, and if you do change your mind, a 14-day refund policy is available. A great way to get started with the platform is by checking out one of its free courses.
edX gives you the option to audit the course, which means to learn for free. This grants you temporary access to the course materials, but it will mean you won’t earn a certificate or graded assignments. If you change your mind, you’ll have the option to upgrade to a paid version.
When you successfully complete a course or program, you’ll receive a verified certificate.
Courses are partnered with prestigious organizations, universities and companies like Harvard, Berkeley and Microsoft.
edX offers a wide variety of different courses, learning programs and degrees, to help upskill all learners.
If you decide within 14 days of purchasing a verified course or program that you don’t want to continue, edX will give you a full refund.
edX offers a wide variety of different courses, learning programs and degrees, to help upskill all learners.
Many courses and programs don’t offer personalized feedback from instructors. This is something to consider if you are looking for this.
edX specializes in higher education and the sciences, so you won’t find all the topics like (e.g. baking or filmmaking). Alternatively, if you looking for a broader range of creative topics, check out Skillshare or Udemy.
As edX courses and programs are built in collaboration with its partners, you may find some lack structure or don’t follow a consistent framework.
I've had a great experience with edX! I took the Data Analysis course from Harvard and really enjoyed it. The platform is user-friendly, but I wish the mobile app were a bit more polished.
Anna 15 May 2024, 09:23I've been with edX for a few months and it's fantastic! The courses are well-structured and the flexibility lets me manage my own learning pace perfectly. Highly recommend it if you're looking to learn something new on your own terms.
Jessie 15 May 2024, 09:21I've completed a couple of courses on edX. The material is comprehensive, but if you run into problems, the support team can be slow to respond. It's fine if you can figure things out on your own.
Louise 15 May 2024, 09:20edX has a wide range of courses that are easy to follow and genuinely useful. I just finished a course in Project Management, and it's already making a difference at work.
John 15 May 2024, 09:19The content on edX is good, but navigating the site can be frustrating sometimes. Some updates and a more user-friendly interface would make a big difference.
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You may be asking yourself, Is edX right for me?
That’s a hard one to answer, especially depending on your goals, budget and time commitment. Saying that, edX does offer a wide range of courses and learning programs, so there is a big chance there is something for you.
edX offers individual courses, which cover just one topic in detail, and when you successfully complete it you’ll earn a verified certificate.
This is normally a group of 3 or more courses that explore a certain skill or topic. The majority of these programs are offered by University partners.
These programs focus on career development and are corporate-sponsored, that are grouped into 3 or more courses and advance as you progress.
These are a series of 3 to 5 courses that are designed to help you be job ready. On top of that, after completing these courses, you can opt to earn undergraduate credit.
A series of 3 or more graduate level courses, that are offered by top Universities and sponsored by industry partners. Some of these programs may give you the opportunity to transfer course credit to continue into an on-campus Master’s Degree program.
Its online master’s degrees are delivered by top Universities, hen you successfully complete one you’ll receive a diploma which is the same as on campus student would receive.
All Boot Camps and Executive courses are delivered on its partner sites, when you successfully complete one you’ll earn a certificate from the partner, not edX.
When you land, on edX’s homepage, you navigate to its top courses. Its main course subjects are Data Science, Computer Science, Business, Engineering, Design and much more.
edX is a platform that offers a wide variety of courses and programs, there is a high chance you’ll find something that interests you. Its important to be aware that learning with edX, is for serious learning and to be taken seriously.
In short, edX is good for:
Remember that edX certificates are verified and are likely to be recognized by future employers.
edX doesn’t only offer plans for individuals, it has plans for Businesses. edX for Business customizes plans to upskill and train your employees. As all its learning pathways are curated for each business and team, sadly it has no indication of pricing. It has worked with well recognized companies like Mercedes-Benz, Goldman Sachs and Hilton.
edX for Business offers thousands of courses from world-class content that are informed by science to motivate and engage learners to maximize learning. The administration and learner dashboards provide insight into learner progress while services are available to solve employee skill gaps.
edX offers an array of courses with different pricing that reflects the type, of course. If you are looking to ‘Pursue the Verified track’ (paid option) the price range is usually between $50 to $300 USD, cheaper if you compare it to a Full Master’s degree which can be anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 USD. I speak a little more in-depth about the other professional education courses that edX offers below.
‘Pursue the Verified track’ is the paid option in which (see image below) you will have access to all course material, graded assignments and awarded a verified certificate on successful completion of the course.
The registration process for edX is super easy. The design and layout of its platform are clean and intuitive. I will outline here the steps taken to register:
Once you have created your account and all signed in you can click on Explore Courses and begin checking out what edX offers.
You can then begin to by checking out either the Courses or Programs & Degrees. There is a big pool of courses/programs to choose from it will be difficult to get bored.
If you are looking to refine your search further, you can use the filters like Subject, Partner, Program, Level, Language, Availability and Learning Type.
I thought it would be helpful to highlight the popular subjects and courses that learners are enjoying to give you a taste of what is most popular on edX.
Introduction to Cloud Development with HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript – This course is brought to you by IBM and will take you on the first steps to become a Cloud Application Developer. You will be taken through the programming languages and tools you need to develop your own Cloud and Web Applications. This course is self-paced and 4 weeks long, working 1–2 hours per week.
Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) – This course is brought to you by the University of Michigan and aims to teach everyone the basics of programming computers using python. You will learn the basics of how to construct a program from a series of simple instructions in Python. This course has a start date for you to enrol on and is 7 weeks long, working 2–4 hours a week.
Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles – This course is brought to you by Harvard University, and it helps to mobilize people to tackle tough problems and build the capacity to thrive. This is an introductory course, where you will explore strategies for leading in a changing world. This course has a start date for you to enrol on and is 4 weeks long, working 2–3 hours a week.
Introduction to Project Management – This course is brought to you by the University of Adelaide where you will learn the principle of project management and apply them in your own work and life. You will learn practical ways to explore and understand your goals of your project and consider factors that may affect it. This course has a start date for you to enrol on and is 6 weeks long, working 2–3 hours a week.
Python Basics for Data Science – This course is brought to you by IBM that is a beginner-friendly introduction to Python for Data Science. The objective of this course is to get you started with Python and give you a taste of how to start working with data in Python. This course has a start date for you to enrol on and is 5 weeks long, working 2–5 hours a week.
Probability – The Science of Uncertainty and Data – This course is brought to you by MIT and helps you build foundational knowledge of data science. This course will cover the basic probability concepts and will enable you to apply tools of probability into the real-world. This course has a start date for you to enrol on and is 16 weeks long working 10–14 hours a week.
Embedded Systems Essentials with Arm: Get Practical with Hardware – This course is brought to you by Arm Education where you will learn practical skills and confidence to build your own embedded system using the popular and affordable ST Nucleo F401RE development board. This course has a start date for you to enrol on and is 4 weeks long, working 3–6 hours a week.
Solar Energy Engineering – This MicroMasters Program is brought to you by TU Delft where you will master the technical knowledge for a career in solar energy. The program is taught by photovoltaics research experts from TU Delft, and it includes real-world applications. This program has a start date for you to enrol on and will take you 1 year and 1 month to complete, working 9–10 hours a week.
The Architectural Imagination – This course is brought to you by Harvard University and is designed for you to learn the fundamental principles of architecture. You will learn how to read, analyze and understand different forms of architectural representation and much more. This course has a start date for you to enrol on and is 10 weeks long, working 3–5 hours a week.
Product Management Fundamentals – This course is brought to you by the University of Maryland and is to help you understand the keys to successfully navigating the roles and responsibilities of being a product manager. This course defines the product manager’s position in an organization and the key responsibilities. This course has a start date for you to enrol on and is 4 weeks long, working 2–3 hours a week.
To provide a comprehensive perspective in this edX review, I’ve delved into customer feedback from two review sites: Trustpilot and Sitejabber. This approach enables us to gather insights from a diverse range of users and gain a deeper understanding of their experiences with the platform.
When analyzing Trustpilot data, from 1,291 users that covers that 1-5 star ratings. We found the majority of users, 69% to be accurate awarded the platform with a 5-star rating, while only 8% opted for a 1-star rating. At Sitejabber, feedback was only taken from 6 users, so although it’s a small amount, I wanted to include it in this study, that left edX with an overall rating of 4.17 out of 5 stars.
| Rating | Trustpilot | Sitejabber |
|---|---|---|
| 5-star | 69% | 4 |
| 4-star | 16% | 1 |
| 3-star | 4% | 0 |
| 2-star | 3% | 0 |
| 1-star | 8% | 1 |
| Overall | 2.6 out of 5 stars | 4.17 out of 5 stars |
Data gathered on 11/09/2023
As I delved into the 5-star reviews, I found many customers were happy with the quality of learning, course partnerships and customer services. “I always wanted to study with Harvard and Cambridge…so it was a great opportunity to experience their teaching too…Kind and helpful customer service too” a happy five-star reviewer said.
On the downside, many of the 1-star reviews were disappointed in the teaching quality, customer service, bad user experience. “Teacher was impatient with students and unprepared to start the course” an unhappy one-star reviewer said.
If you are feeling a little hesitant about which course is the right one for you – Do not fear. I thought it would be helpful to put together some helpful tips to help you choose the right course.
A very helpful feature is the use of the filters in the search bar. If you have a topic or area you want to search for, you then have the option to narrow down your search by selecting the following filters like Subject, Partner, Program, Level, Language, Availability and Learning Type. This can save some time if you already have an idea of what you are looking for
A clear breakdown of what topics to expect each week during the course. This gives you a broad overview of the course as a whole and highlights what will be covered and when.
When you enrol in a course on edX, you are given two learning options. One is to Pursue the Verified Track (paid option) and the other one Audit the Course. If you choose the latter you are opting to learn for free, which means you won’t have access to all the learning material and at the end of the course you will not be able to earn a verified certificate.
However, checking out the course for free may be an excellent way to decide if it’s right for you (and pay for the full access later on).
At the end of every ‘About the course’ section, you will find ‘Learner testimonials’. These testimonials give you first-hand feedback on what the experience was like for others. However, there are minimal testimonials and I have only found a maximum of 2 testimonials per course. A more extensive range of testimonials would be more insightful.
The majority of edX courses offer verified certificates for a fee (assuming you successfully complete the course), this cost varies depending on the course. Every official and verified certificate will be signed by the instructor and have the partnered institution’s logo to prove your achievement. The certificates will require you to confirm your identity before you can receive it.
Your verified certificate can be connected to your Linkedin profile and your achievement added to your CV which can help to improve your job prospects.
Included in each course description is a ‘Meet your instructors’ section which will take you to a small blurb about his or her prior experience and social links. It also highlights their areas of expertise which I think is a really nice touch and helps you get a better idea of the instructor’s specialised areas.
This is super helpful for you to know more about who will be teaching the course and gives you insight into the way the course will be taught. Check out if you like how it sounds.
edX courses are created by one of their 250+ prestigious partnered institutions. If it is important for you to study with a particular school or partner, you have the option to view all the institutions that are partnered with edX here. You can then choose your preferred institution and start to browse all the online courses that they specifically offer.
edX regularly partners with different types of organizations from all around the world from academic institutions to non-profit institutions or national governments and more. If there is a strong mission alignment with edX, they welcome you to get in touch to offer courses and programs.
